Honey Pies Opens in WLR, Q/A with Owner Sharon Woodson

Good news … Honey Pies is officially open, well, let’s call it a soft open. Owner Sharon Woodson gives us all the details on the new storefront and what to expect now and in the future.

Let’s get this out of the way, what is your estimated opening date for the Honey Pies shop?
Right now I need to be spending my time organizing the store front but customers love my pies and the orders keep coming. Opening the doors this week with a soft opening makes the most sense right now while I continue getting everything ready.

What will your eventual hours be once you get settled?
This week I’ll be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM with my hand-made pies and Loblolly Ice Cream. Next week, I’ll add coffee to the menu and hope to expand into the morning hours with full coffee service next month. We’ll host a grand opening party later in August.

What is the address of the storefront?
Honey Pies is located at 315 North Bowman Road, Suite 14, Little Rock in the Colonnade shopping center on Bowman Curve.

I was just in your shop and think the space is beautiful. What was your inspiration behind the design?
Thank you for the kind compliment! I am 100% in love with how the space turned out. The credit goes to Laure at L. Antonetti Design. I definitely wanted the space to be bright and have the welcoming feel of a southern kitchen. In the south we say the kitchen is the heart of the home and Laure completely nailed that concept.

What kind of pies can customers expect to see on a regular basis, and will you sell both whole pies and pie-by-the-slice?
We will bake pies daily for walk in customers and continue taking special orders. Additionally, there will be a rotating selection of sliced pies, Loblolly Ice Cream, cookies, brownies and other pastries to enjoy in our dining area or to take with you to-go. Honey Pies made it this far by listening to our customers and asking what they would like to see. Keeping us focused on our customers’ needs will continue to be my top priority.

I’ve always known you to be big on collaborations and supporting other local businesses. How do you plan to incorporate these partnerships into what you’ll be doing at the shop?
We set aside some space in the shop to showcase a small market of local items. We partnered with Me and McGee Produce, LK Rustic, Geri’s Jams & Jellies, Loblolly Creamery, & Leiva’s Coffee. We’re also working on several ideas to promote Arkansas’ No Kid Hungry program and are involved with events with Little Rock’s Taste of the Finest and Women’s Own Worth.

You have a huge presence at various food truck events. Will this continue?
I hope so! I took a big leap of faith and swapped my SUV for a cute little Honey Pies delivery van named “Honey.” We plan to utilize her for catering, deliveries and food truck events so you’ll continue to see us all around the community.

I’ve tried many of your pies … for someone who’s never had one, what would you say makes them unique?
Butter! There are lots of places who make their own pie filling, but the major difference in our pies is the quality of our ingredients and the crust. Most bakeries buy pre-shaped frozen dough or make their own crust using shortening to keep the dough easy to work with. This cuts cost but also cuts flavor. At Honey Pies, we don’t believe in taking short cuts and instead use butter just as my grandmother did. We love to boast our crusts are rolled by hand and baked with love. Sometimes we joke our crusts are rolled by hand and baked with butter. Everything we offer is made from scratch and I’m a firm believer that little details add up to big differences. Butter is more difficult to work with and more expensive, but it’s absolutely worth it in the end.

How long have you been making pie?
I honestly have no idea; I think I just always have! I was in the kitchen standing on a chair cooking with my grandmother as a little girl and have continued her methods through today.

You’re taking over the lease for the space formerly occupied by BASH Burger. What do you foresee happening with that?
Tell me what you’d like to see! We’d love to know what our community would like to see in the space. The main goal right now is getting the dining room ready to re-open. We have been working hard renovating and have plans to reopen the space as a restaurant with the same attention to detail you find at Honey Pies.

What are you looking forward to most about having your own shop?
I am looking forward to a slower paced environment and making more connections within our community. Being on the food truck circuit, my interaction with our community feels very rushed. Honey Pies is really an extension of my home and I love the thought of being able to welcome our community inside our Honey Pies home and host all of the new friends I have made while making new friends along the way.